ABSTRACT

Mineral biotechnological applications, e.g., bioleaching and bio-beneficiation, for waste treatment and resource recovery have invited due attention owing to their economic and eco-friendly benefits in comparison to the conventional methods. Although research has progressed well, there are several aspects that are still not well understood and require more attention in view of full-scale industrial application of these processes. For example, microbe-mineral/galvanic interactions, passivation phenomenon, synergistic effects among the microbes, identification of novel and robust microbial strains, etc., require more studies to explore the fundamental aspects. In addition, mode of treatment for a wide variety of ores and/or concentrates, advances in engineering applications and scaling-up of bio-processes to industrial level along with the assessment of techno-economic feasibility, life-cycle, and environmental impact can provide numerous opportunities for the researchers to further explore the applied aspects. This paper presents comprehensive details, including the latest research, on the fundamentals and applications of bioleaching, bioflotation and bioflocculation for the readers. The key microorganisms and their mode of action, factors affecting each bio-processes and aspects related to their scale-up and industrial applications are reviewed, analyzed and compared. It is believed that the recent advances, emerging dimensions and future directions of research presented in this paper will serve as a guide for the researchers to further explore this exciting field of research.

摘要

矿物生物技术应用，例如，生物浸出和生物选矿，用于废物处理和资源回收，由于与传统方法相比具有经济和环保效益，因此受到应有的关注。尽管研究进展顺利，但鉴于这些工艺的全面工业应用，仍有几个方面尚未得到充分了解，需要更多关注。例如，微生物-矿物/电偶相互作用、钝化现象、微生物之间的协同效应、新型和稳健微生物菌株的鉴定等，需要更多的研究来探索基本方面。此外，各种矿石和/或精矿的处理方式，工程应用的进步和生物过程扩大到工业水平，以及技术经济可行性、生命周期和环境影响的评估，可以为研究人员进一步探索应用方面提供大量机会。本文为读者全面详细介绍了生物浸出、生物浮选和生物絮凝的基本原理和应用，包括最新研究。回顾、分析和比较了关键微生物及其作用方式、影响每个生物过程的因素以及与其放大和工业应用相关的方面。相信本文介绍的最新进展、新兴维度和未来研究方向将作为研究人员进一步探索这一激动人心的研究领域的指南。